By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Covington Catholic remained the state’s only undefeated high school baseball team this spring with a 4-3 win over Beechwood in a 35th District seeding game on Wednesday in Fort Mitchell.
It was the 19th consecutive win for the Colonels, who had lost eight of their previous 10 games against Beechwood over the previous five seasons. Beechwood’s current record slipped to 17-3 after winning 10 in a row.
Both teams were averaging more than 10 runs per game going into Wednesday’s showdown, but the two starting pitchers limited the scoring.
CovCath senior Tyler Hutson didn’t give up a run until the sixth inning and picked up his fifth win. Beechwood junior Brett Holladay allowed eight hits in seven innings, but two of them were home runs.
CovCath senior outfielder Sam France opened the game with a home run over the center field fence off Holladay. In the third inning, the Colonels took a 2-0 lead on a two-out double by Hutson and a run-scoring single by senior outfielder Owen Nally.
CovCath’s other senior outfielder, Ethan Reardon, hit his first home run of the season with a runner on base in the top of the sixth inning to make it 4-0 before Beechwood’s team mounted a late rally.
After Hutson got his 10th strikeout in the bottom of the sixth, Beechwood scored its first run on a single by junior Tanner Jackson and double by sophomore Mitchell Berger. The Tigers picked up two more runs that inning on hard hit balls that CovCath fielders couldn’t handle to make it 4-3.
Holladay retired the three batters he faced in the seventh inning to keep it a one-run game. But the Tigers weren’t able to score off CovCath junior relief pitcher Luke Lenhof in the bottom of the inning.
Lenhof retired two batters on strike outs and Reardon made a diving catch on a foul ball down the right field line to get the other out. It was first save of the season for Lenhof, who has not allowed an earned run in 15 innings on the mound.
CovCath clinched the top seed in the 35th District playoffs with the victory. If the Colonels win their next game against Boone County on Friday, they will continue a string of 20-win seasons under coach Bill Krumpelbeck that began 35 years ago in 1986.
Beechwood’s next game will be at Walton-Verona at 1 p.m. Saturday. Walton-Verona (17-2) had its 15-game win streak end on Thursday when the Bearcats lost to Scott, 3-2.
COVCATH 101 002 0 — 4 8 1
BEECHWOOD 000 003 0 — 3 7 1
WP — Hutson (10 Ks). LP — Holladay.
HITTING LEADERS: CC — France HR; Hutson, 2-3, 2B; Reardon HR, 2 RBI. B — Estep 2-3; Berger 2B.
RECORDS: CovCath 19-0-1, Beechwood 17-3.